SC woman says her new hair dryer turned into a ‘blowtorch’

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A South Carolina woman says her new hair dryer turned into a “blowtorch” after flames shot out when she turned it on.

Erika Shoolbred, of Spartanburg, posted about the “hair frier” on Facebook Monday, saying she had received the item through Amazon.

The post read, “Talk about a bad hair day! My new hair dryer (more like hair frier) from OraCorp on Amazon.com became a blow torch on its first use this morning.”

Shoolbred told WSPA that while using the hair dryer, she heard the motor slow down, so she pulled it away from her head and turned it off. A few seconds later, she turned it on again and flames shot through the top.

“The on/off mechanism at this point did not work and only made the dryer act like a blowtorch,” she said. “I had to pull the plug from the wall to shut it off. Even unplugged it continued to flame so I submerged it in water.”

The dryer left a small burn on her hand and produced a bad smell in her bathroom.

Amazon has since refunded her money and pulled the item from its website. Shoolbred reached out to OraCorp but has yet to receive a response.